Defence in faeces assault trial asks court to declare victim incompetent

Attorney Glenn Hanoman yesterday asked a court to declare newspaper columnist and activist Freddie Kissoon incompetent after he completed his testimony at the trial of the three men charged with dousing him with human faeces.

PPP members Kwame McCoy and Jason Abdulla as well as former bodyguard Shawn Hinds are charged with assaulting Kissoon, whom they are accused of dousing with human faeces during an attack in 2010.

Hanoman’s request was made subsequent to the completion of his heated cross-examination of Kissoon.

According to the attorney, Kissoon ought to be considered incompetent based on the fact that whenever he was asked a question, he went on a philosophical rant without providing a direct answer.

The attorney made mention of a particular question that he asked Kissoon sometime earlier—“You are unaware that you are here to tell the whole truth?”—and the witness replying, “I am here to tell the truth,” and “there are dimensions of the truth, I am educated, sir.”

If deemed incompetent by the court, according to Hanoman, Kissoon’s evidence may be struck out.

The matter was adjourned to September 16 by Magistrate Latchman, when the prosecution is expected to respond to the attorney’s request.